


A Different Kind of Fix

by landmarked



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Chatlogs, M/M, Yearning, although i messed up the timeline a little, anonymous chatting ;), except they both work in the same building, fluffy thoughts, gentle jared, himbo bighead, i wrote this while i was watching succession, i've only heard two songs from it, jared is worried about ethics, lonely richard, long distance relationship?, most things mentioned are based on canon, richard learns to double text, sad boy makes a friend, sorry to my friends who i kept forcing to proofread this, the brogrammers SUCK, this is set in like. 2014, title is the album by bombay bicycle club, workplace bullying, yearning richard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25551649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/landmarked/pseuds/landmarked
Summary: Over text, Richard is a little more outgoing than he is in real life, and Jared is slightly less earnest. That way, they run less of a risk of scaring people away. When the two connect anonymously through the Hooli buddy system, they seem like the perfect fit, but how can you fully trust someone you don't even know the name of?Set pre/beginning s1! Richard and Jared both still work at Hooli.
Relationships: Jared Dunn/Richard Hendricks
Comments: 24
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sad boy makes a friend

Richard had to fight the urge to let out an audible sigh as he heard the brogrammers obnoxiously approach his area. There was no point in rushing to get out of there, as this would risk him dropping his coffee, or tripping, or walking into someone and making the entire situation worse. He had to face this head-on. 

“Rico! How’s it hangin’?” Jason yelled from a good distance away, causing Richard to grimace. The two of them picked up their pace, quickly walking towards him. _In order to corner me_ , he thought.

“It’s… It’s Richard,” he murmured.

“How’s the _Google of music_ coming along? What’s it called?” Aly chimed in. Richard felt his stomach turn. He could never tell when they were messing with him, so it kept him on his toes.

“It’s called Pied Piper. And I actually added some stuff recently, so…” he trailed off, reaching for his mug on the counter. Seemingly instinctively, the brogrammers stepped closer, eyes wide with mischief.

Aly’s tone suddenly switched from mocking to warm: “Why don’t you shoot it over to us and we’ll give it a look? Maybe we can help.”

“Really?” Richard questioned, releasing some of the tension from his shoulders. He stood up straighter, levelling with them.

“Yeah!”

“Okay… Yeah. It’s always good to get fresh eyes on it.” He eagerly reached for his phone, typing in their HooliChat IDs (something he never thought he’d do) and swiftly sending them the latest demo of Pied Piper. “Sent.” Richard looked back up at them, a smile on his face. He noticed their mocking grins were back, and they were struggling to contain their laughter. 

_Punk’d again._

“Oh, you were making fun of me.”

*****

Richard tried to keep his sulking brief as he sat back down at his desk. He had work to do, and the quicker he got it done, the sooner he’d be able to work on Pied Piper and prove those brogrammers wrong. But the second he hit enter on his Hooli-assigned computer, an unexpected notification popped up.

_**unknown sender (#kingofcondor):** Hey there! I saw that you put your account ID down for the Hooli Buddy Scheme! How are you? I guess we’re buddies now._

A few moments of confusion passed before Richard remembered a spur of the moment decision he’d made a few days ago. He noticed on the Hooli forums that an anonymous user had suggested a ‘buddy system’ of sorts to pair up employees and hopefully ‘strengthen the Hooli community’. Richard thought it was corporate bullshit, of course, but he figured he could do with someone to chat to outside of the five guys he lived with and saw daily. So he put his ID down with no name and figured, _I can just block anyone who I don’t get on with, right?_

And now, three days later, someone had responded. 

This person seemed to have the same idea as him, as they hadn’t attached a name to their account either. 

Richard stopped himself as he was about to type out a reply. This had to be the workings of one of the brogrammers. They were always messing with him and, quite frankly, he’d had enough.

_**(#HooliChat23541):** hey, look. if you’re gonna make fun of me, can you stick to doing it in person? i have work to do._

_**(#kingofcondor):** I can assure you that I’m not here to make fun of you. I’d be a pretty terrible buddy if that were the case. I don’t think I’m the person you think I am._

_**(#HooliChat23541):** you’re not a brogrammer?_

_**(#kingofcondor):** A what? No, I don’t think so._

Richard laughed to himself. _Not with that display name, you’re not._ In that case, this was a real human person who wanted to talk to him. _This could be interesting._

He had to stop himself from opening with “I’m Richard Hendricks, creator of Pied Piper: a proprietary site that lets you find out if your music is infringing on any existing copyrights” - something he was growing very accustomed to repeating. _Courtesy of Erlich,_ he thought.

_**(#HooliChat23541):** then, hey. i guess._

_**(#kingofcondor):** Hi! Did you know that you can change your HooliChat ID? It would be simpler for me to address you by if you would prefer to remain anonymous._

_**(#HooliChat23541):** yeah, i know. i just couldn’t think of anything._

_**(#kingofcondor):** What was the last album you purchased? Think of a lyric or song title from that. Or your favorite TV show! Or a movie! The world of HooliChat usernames is your oyster. Unless someone else already has it. Then in that case, add a 1._

_**(#HooliChat23541):** ok, hang on._

_**(#scatterbrain):** this any better?_

_**(#kingofcondor):** Yes! May I ask what that’s from? Or did you just make it up? Either way, it’s very edgy._

_**(#scatterbrain):** it’s a radiohead song. it was the first thing that came to mind. like you said._

_**(#kingofcondor):** I’ll check it out! But I like it as your ID. It’s easy to type out. Especially if we’re going to be chatting a lot._

_**(#scatterbrain):** you think we’ll talk a lot? like this?_

_**(#kingofcondor):** I see no reason why we shouldn’t. Unless you’d rather opt out of the buddy scheme. I took a little while to respond, so I’d completely understand._

_**(#scatterbrain):** no, sure. i’d love to talk. it might make my days here more bearable._

The rest of the work day felt a little lighter for some reason, but Richard didn’t want to get attached. His earlier interaction with the brogrammers left him feeling cheated, as that was what they liked to do - build him up just to break him down again. He feared that it was happening again with the buddy system, but then he remembered he was as careful as possible when applying. He hadn’t used his name or his real HooliChat ID, he’d done it on a private browser, and he’d made the password something unique. Unless the brogrammers had installed a keylogger on his computer (although he didn’t think they were even capable of going that far), he was in the clear. 

_But what if the whole scheme was a setup?_ He’d have to proceed with caution.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> richard learns how to double text

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for appreciating chapter 1. here, take this.

Jared Dunn was _technically_ in violation of his Hooli employee agreement. Or so he’d assumed at first.

Surely by anonymously contacting another employee who was presumably working at a lower level, he was violating some sort of rule or regulation, right? Apparently not. Before reaching out to the only other non-bot, non-troll person on the buddy scheme sign up page, he’d checked with the rules as thoroughly as he could. There was nothing against this in the employee handbook. Morally, however, Jared felt like he was committing first-degree murder, but ethics wasn’t exactly Gavin Belson’s first concern as the CEO of this billion-dollar tech company. Jared had learned not to question things like this.

Because of his proximity to Gavin, he knew he couldn’t tell whoever it was that he was talking to who he was. Even though there was nothing against it in the rules, he knew this would jeopardise his entire career here at Hooli. He wasn’t sure how Gavin felt about someone who worked so closely with him having a direct line of communication with one of their lower employees. 

So he wouldn’t disclose his identity. He hoped that _scatterbrain_ didn’t mind much. Jared would just have to be okay with not knowing the name of the person _he_ was talking to either. He wouldn’t ask, he wouldn’t let them tell. It was only fair. Whoever it was, they didn’t seem to want their name out there to begin with (hence signing up without a real name) - maybe out of embarrassment? It was a public forum after all. Jared knew how nasty some of the employees could get towards others. That’s why he felt that the buddy scheme was important, even if literally only one other person was going to benefit from it.

Jared looked at his schedule: today was going to be a slow day. _More time to chat,_ he thought.

_**(#kingofcondor):** Good morning!_

_**(#scatterbrain):** hey. you seem... cheerful. what’s your prescription?_

_**(#kingofcondor):** I can assure you, Scatterbrain, that my prescriptions have nothing to do with it._

_**(#scatterbrain):** oh? enlighten me._

_**(#kingofcondor):** Is the act of simply conversing with someone not enough to elicit joy these days?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** really? talking to me?_

_**(#kingofcondor):** Of course! What else?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** i don’t know. i figured most people would rather do literally anything else than talk to me. but to each their own, i guess._

_**(#kingofcondor):** Hey! No. You’re wonderful._

_**(#scatterbrain):** i appreciate that, but you really haven’t known me for long. or met me in person._

_**(#kingofcondor):** I disagree! None of that matters if all we’re doing is talking, right?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** i guess so._

_**(#kingofcondor):** Was it those ‘Brogrammers’ that made you feel this way? Like you’re not worthy of being talked to?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** are you my hooli-appointed therapist now?_

_**(#kingofcondor):** Forgive me, that was a little intrusive. It’s just that I know how toxic the work environment can get here. That’s why I’m doing this._

_**(#scatterbrain):** the buddy scheme? i’m guessing you don’t have many friends here either._

_**(#kingofcondor):** I just want to make working at Hooli a pleasant experience. For you and me, both._

*****

Richard remembered that this was different from face-to-face interaction. He didn’t have to hide his vulnerability from this person who couldn’t even see him.

He ended up having to remind himself to actually get some work done. Talking to this person was making time pass quicker, but it was also making him work slower. With every alert that popped up in the corner of his screen, he felt a small pang in his chest. Excitement due to the feeling of feeling wanted. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. It was also minimising the time he had available to think about Pied Piper, which needed to be his main priority if he wanted to get out of here any time soon. He knew he shouldn’t be jeopardising that to talk to another employee who probably had the same objectives as him. What would he do if _kingofcondor_ sold their app and left? He’d be back at square one, alone and unwanted. Maybe it wasn’t worth it.

A message appeared on his personal HooliChat account:

_**(#bighead):** Peter Gregory’s doing a TED talk tomorrow. something about offering 100k for anyone willing to drop out of college to pursue their idea. want 2 go?_

_**(#rhendricks):** sounds good. maybe i can pitch Pied Piper to him_

_**(#bighead):** nice! u want a burger?_

_**(#rhendricks):** right now???_

_**(#bighead):** yea. early lunch!_

_**(#rhendricks):** i’m good actually. got some stuff to do_

_**(#bighead):** ur loss _

*****

Richard found himself breezing through his work that afternoon. Maybe it was out of excitement to possibly pitch his website to Peter Gregory. Maybe it was out of excitement to talk to _kingofcondor_. Probably a bit of both.

_**(#scatterbrain):** hey, i don’t know what your schedule’s like, but i’m assuming it’s somewhat similar to mine considering you have all this time to chat with me, so... you wanna get lunch?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** with me_

_**(#kingofcondor):** As much as I’d love that, and as tempting as it would be to come up with some catfish-esque excuse to let you down lightly, I don’t think it would be a good idea to disclose our identities to each other just yet. I can’t exactly explain why, but. I can’t. I know that sort of defeats the point of the whole buddy scheme, but I think it works better if you don’t know who I am._

Richard felt guilty at the amount of relief that washed over him. He didn’t even realise he was anxious about this until he’d received “no” for an answer. He’d always wished he could skip the part of a relationship that required him to physically show up. It was painful to talk to people sometimes. Although, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little confused by _kingofcondor's_ discretion. 

_**(#scatterbrain):** oh, ok. I understand_

_**(#kingofcondor):** Are you disappointed?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** no_

_**(#kingofcondor):** Promise?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** promise. if anything, it makes our talks more exciting. and it ensures that my physical presence doesn’t completely repel you._

_**(#kingofcondor):** You’re right! I feel like a missed connections column in a magazine that people sometimes use to have entire anonymous conversations! And I’m sure your physical presence is wonderful._

_**(#scatterbrain):** that’s… oddly specific._

_**(#kingofcondor):** What can I say? I’m a sucker for identity mysteries. Have you heard of the Zodiac killer?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** please don’t track me down and murder me…_

_**(#kingofcondor):** Oh, of course not!_

_**(#scatterbrain):** shit, can i say that? will that flag something up with the hooli execs?_

_**(#kingofcondor):** I wouldn’t worry. Between you and me, I don’t think Hooli gives a damn about the stuff that goes on in HooliChat. Sure, they mine our data, but only if it benefits them. They wouldn’t care if you were plotting to end the world on their public forums._

_**(#scatterbrain):** oh, whew. THAT’S a relief._

_**(#kingofcondor):** However, saying that might flag something up…_

_**(#scatterbrain):** quick, delete it!_

_**(#scatterbrain):** but i get it. it’s fun not knowing who you are. although, i’ll be looking at everyone who works here and wondering whether it’s you._

_**(#kingofcondor):** Try not to paint too much of a mental image of me in your head… You’ll probably be setting yourself up for disappointment._

_**(#scatterbrain):** don’t worry, i’m not. it’s all in good fun._

_**(#scatterbrain):** so… what should i call you? i’d rather not refer to you as kingofcondor. sorry if that is your real name. :/ _

_**(#kingofcondor):** Oh, no. My real name is much more underwhelming than that. I can give you an initial, if you’d like? I’m not all that into code names._

_**(#scatterbrain):** that would work!_

_**(#kingofcondor):** You ready?_

_**(#scatterbrain):** i’ve never been more ready for anything in my entire life._

_**(#kingofcondor):** Here it comes…!_

_**(#scatterbrain):** literally on the edge of my seat._

A few moments passed. _Way too long to type out one letter,_ he thought. 

And then:

_**(#kingofcondor):** J._

_**(#scatterbrain):** well, that doesn’t narrow things down in the slightest._

_**J:** Stop looking for me! Seriously._

_**(#scatterbrain):** i’m joking! i wouldn’t do that to you._

_**J:** What can I call you? I showed you mine, so._

_**(#scatterbrain):** R._

_**J:** Somehow, that makes sense. It suits you._

_**R:** thanks? anyway, there’s something else i’ve been meaning to ask you_

_**J:** Go ahead. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to answer, though._

_**R:** where is condor and how are you the king of it? is this some tabletop RPG that i’m not aware of?_

_**J:** Oh, R. You are hilarious. A condor is a bird! And I am the self-proclaimed King of it!_

_**R:** ohhh. that’s somehow both more AND less nerdy than i thought it’d be._

_**J:** Thank you, thank you. You can’t see me, but I just bowed._

Richard quickly typed out and deleted a message. _wish i could see you._

_**J:** You should go take your lunch break. I’ll be here when you get back!_

_**R:** oh shit, yeah. i can bring my phone, you know._

_**J:** To talk to little old me? Over YOUR designated lunch break??_

_**R:** don’t feel special. i don’t have much else to do._

_**R:** (that was a joke)_

_**J:** I feel like the most important person alive!_

At lunch, Richard was so caught up in texting, he didn’t notice the brogrammers sitting down across from him.

“You’re in a good mood, Ricky.”

Richard gulped and looked up at an amused Aly. He didn’t realise he’d been smiling until he felt his face shift into a frown.

“Yeah, you got a girlfriend or something?” Jason chimed in, grabbing for Richard’s phone. The move was calculated and unexpected, catching him off guard and snapping him out of his daze. “Aww, who’s J?”

“Give it back, Jason,” Richard muttered urgently but quietly, making a half-hearted attempt at grabbing it back. He felt his heart beating in his chest, getting louder and louder, drowning out their laughter.

“Wait, Rico. This is a guy you’re talking to. Your _World of Warcraft_ boyfriend, maybe?”

“ _Seriously_.” Richard had raised his voice at them for the first time ever, catching them off guard. Aly stopped smiling.

“Give it back, Jason,” Aly muttered, nudging him hard.

Begrudgingly, he handed it back to him. Richard pocketed it quickly. 

“See ya around, Rico.” Richard kept his eyes cast down to the table in front of him as the brogrammers walked away. He was burning with shame and embarrassment as he sat there alone. He probably would have melted into the ground if it wasn’t for the buzzing of his phone that brought him back to reality.

_**J:** Hey, I haven’t heard from you in a while. Just letting you know that I’m packing up to go home now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow!_

*****

Richard spent the evening working on Pied Piper. He wanted it to be as good as it could be if he was going to show it to Peter Gregory later. He was also determined to get out of there - to get away from Hooli and onto his own path. He _needed_ to get funded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard and Jared get to know each other better.

_**J:** Hey, you know I’m a guy right? I just wanted to make sure you knew that from the get go in case you thought something was happening._

_**R:** i figured. “king” was a dead giveaway. that and i don’t think i’d be able to hold a conversation with a girl for this long._

_**R:** but what did you mean by “in case you thought something was happening”?_

_**J:** Not sure. In case it escalated and we started flirting or something._

_**R:** like sexting?_

_**J:** Sure, but I wouldn’t do that over HooliChat. On work time._

_**R:** right, right. that and i doubt they encrypt these._

_**R:** but you don’t have to worry about me calling catfish or anything. this is nice. i like having someone to talk to. guy or girl. or anything else. i’m a guy too, btw._

_**J:** That’s nice to know. :)_

Richard found himself thinking more and more about J than he’d like to admit. It was weird having something else on his mind that wasn’t Pied Piper. It was refreshing actually. He wasn’t the greatest at making friends, and he’d never progressed through a friendship this quickly. Talking to J became his safety net. He was now part of his routine. 

Even though he said he wouldn’t, Richard couldn’t help but look for him. He started small by listing male J names in his free time, which later escalated into him glancing at each employee’s ID badge as they passed him by. Right now, he was on the Hooli employee roster, singling out all of the male J’s. _James, Jeremy, Jeff, Jack, Jacob, and - god forbid - Jason._ He was ahead in his work, Pied Piper was at its prime for Peter Gregory, and he had some time to kill. 

_**J:** What are you up to? Working, I hope._

_**R:** of course. what else? other than thinking about my website. thinking about getting out._

_**J:** Getting out of Hooli?_

_**R:** yeah. i don’t wanna be a hooli lifer._

_**J:** Neither do I, I don’t think._

_**J:** But hey! I didn’t know you were making a website! How’s it coming along?_

_**R:** everything’s functional, if that’s what you’re asking. i’d send you a link to check it out, but that would sorta ruin our anonymity pact. it has my name all over it._

_**J:** That’s okay! You can still tell me about it! Like, what is it for? Social networking?_

_**R:** it’s for songwriters to check if their music is infringing on any copyrights. my friend described it as ‘the google of music’, which i think makes it sound much better than it is._

_**J:** That’s a good pitch! And an interesting product._

_**R:** you think so? or are you messing with me too?_

At this point, his paranoia was justified. He could never tell when people were messing with him, all he knew was that he was an easy target. He still wasn’t entirely sure if the person he was chatting with was someone playing a sick prank on him.

_**J:** Is that what the brogrammers do?_

_**R:** …_

_**J:** I’ll take that as a yes, then. You shouldn’t let them do that to you._

_**R:** it’s not like i can make them stop. you think i’d be here if i could?_

_**J:** Right, sorry. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I can probably report them for you._

_**R:** i don’t think they’ve done anything that warrants reporting them._

_**J:** Workplace harassment?_

_**R:** i wouldn’t call it that._

_**J:** Are you ok though?_

_**R:** right now? yeah._

_**R:** :)_

The voice in his head was now accompanied by the way he heard J’s messages in his mind’s ear. He spoke in a gentle tone, he rarely used contractions or ‘text lingo’, he used proper grammar, etc etc… Point is, Richard felt like he was having a human conversation when they spoke. He’d read - and reread - his messages and allowed the projection of J’s soundless voice to just sit in his mind alongside his own. He’d see things in and out of work and think about what J would say about them. 

He thought about the things he already knew about J:  
1\. Likes birds (condors, specifically. Richard had googled an image of one to attach to his contact photo)  
2\. Name starts with J (probably one of the most common letters in male names)  
3\. Works somewhere in Hooli  
4\. Nice to talk to  
5\. Available most hours  
6\. Attentive  
7\. Doesn’t want to be a Hooli lifer (like Richard)

Richard never noticed that he had no clue _where_ in the company J worked. He’d always assumed he was an engineer, but he assumed this without considering the sheer size of Hooli’s workforce. Maybe he’d ask him later. Maybe he’d get a response. But for now, he wanted to hold onto the excitement of not knowing. He hoped that, eventually, he'd get to know everything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's short but the next one......... ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Jared was in too deep to turn back now. He’d somehow become infatuated with a man he’d met in a company forum. _Unbelievable, Donald._ The only thing he had to do was keep him at an arm’s length to avoid any complications. 

Oh, but talking to R was the best part of his day! Forcing himself away from him was a different kind of pain. 

_But this isn’t love,_ he tried to convince himself. It couldn’t be. They had literally only been talking for a matter of days, but Jared could tell that they were both quite attached. No one had cared for him in this way, or at least showed him that they cared. R listened to him and didn’t just use him for what he had to offer. In fact, most of his current relationships were business-centered, which is what drove him to start the buddy scheme to begin with. He didn’t expect to get _this_ much out of it.

Jared had always yearned for this kind of attention. For someone to just talk to him as if he was like everyone else. 

They had some fairly regular conversations. For example, R mentioned earlier that he’d misplaced his Hooli ID badge and security gave him a new one, with no lanyard, telling him he’d have to pay for a new one in cash (which unfortunately, he couldn’t on this particular day). Nothing too hard-hitting to be considered an ethical violation of the employee/executive relationship policy. The only thing that might’ve been concerning to an onlooker was the sheer volume of texts shared between them. This wasn’t normal for regular work colleagues. 

Although he’d told R not to look for him, he noted that R had never expressed that he’d wanted to remain anonymous himself. In fact, Jared could probably figure out who he was. He had access to some employee data, but only through his connections to the employees who regulated the data. Part of the fun of having a secret pen pal was the secrecy of it all, so asking someone to look into it for him would ruin it. This was _his_ thing. So he stuck to good, old fashioned, half-hearted detective work.

When R went on his lunch break, Jared found himself looking in the food area of the Hooli building, possibly looking for people on their phones, texting. Specifically, writing a reply to him. But this search proved difficult as almost everyone was on their phones. 

Conveniently, Jared had given up his search by the time the incident with the brogrammers had played out. 

When R had mentioned he was developing a website (and was possibly using it as a way out of Hooli), Jared felt his heart skip a beat. He considered how maybe if R decided to start a company and needed a business manager, Jared could be there for him. His music app could be Jared’s way out from under the foot of Gavin Belson. They could get out together.

He knew this was selfish thinking, though. In his head, he was basically planning to only reveal himself once R showed him a way out. Realising this, a wave of guilt overcame him, and he had to take a breather. Away from HooliChat. He didn’t get into this with the intentions of getting out. He simply wanted to make his career at Hooli worth it. Maybe now he had a reason to stay.

*****

Richard was considering revealing himself. He didn’t expect J to do the same, but the pressure of living up to what he made himself out to be was crushing him more and more as each day and chat session went by. He’d leave the Hooli offices feeling rather pleased with himself - a full day of work and good talk and _not_ feeling miserable - he’d ride the shuttle home with Bighead, not saying a word about any of it, and then he’d get home, back to the incubator, and completely crumble. The reality was simply that Richard was failing. He lived in an incubator with 5 other guys, on the verge of being kicked out, with an app that no one was really willing to go out of their way for. 

Based on what little he knew about him, J seemed to be leading a better life than he was. He seemed to know what he was doing. Or at least, that’s what he figured based on the way he texted. 

_**R:** i pitched my site to peter gregory last night!_

_**J:** That’s amazing! What did he think?_

_**R:** he was kinda vague, but i think he’s gonna take a look at it. he also drives the skinniest car i’ve ever seen._

_**J:** Billionaires, huh?_

_**J:** But I’m thrilled for you! Genuinely. I hope something comes of this. I’m rooting for you, R._

_**R:** thanks, man. :) _

Mentally, Richard compared their relationship to that of a married couple. In the sense that logging onto HooliChat to tell J about the most unremarkable parts of his life was sort of comparable to returning home after a long day, and talking to your spouse. Not that Richard knew what that was like (he’d never gotten deep enough into a relationship to ever really ‘go home’ to his partner. He didn’t know how to get close enough to a person to share such things without unintentionally pushing them away). Diving deeper into the marriage analogy put him on course to painting a mental image of what it would be like to actually be in J’s presence. He pictured himself returning home to a voiceless, faceless, caring man who would listen to him and respond in the kindest and most unexpected ways. It felt like waking up from a dream that he had to chase in his consciousness just to hold onto a few hazy details. He felt like he had to write it down. 

So he did. But doing so brought on a few awkward epiphanies for him. Like: 

_Does this mean I wanna be… Romantic… With him...?_

_No, it can’t. I don’t even know his name. I’ve never seen him. I don’t even know if I’m attracted to him. I don’t even know if I’m attracted to men._

_Fuck, what if I’m gay?_

_You’ve never felt like this about a woman, Richard. This would explain some things._

_Some things?? Like being terrified of the prospect of having to sleep with a woman once I started dating her? Like deciding to avoid dating people altogether because I convinced myself there’s no woman out there for me?_

_I was right. There is no woman out there for me._

_It’s him. It’s him, him, him._

Richard Hendricks was in love with a man. A voiceless, faceless, nameless man. 

_But he’s not real._

This wasn’t good.

*****

_**J:** Hey! Just so you know, I’m a little busy today. But don’t worry, I can always make time for you._

That was the last thing Richard needed to hear.

_**R:** it’s all good! work stuff, or?_

_**J:** Yes, work stuff. I’ll admit that I’ve been slacking off these past few days…_

_**R:** distracted? :)_

_**J:** How could you tell?_

_**R:** honestly? so am i. but it’s nice. work stuff isn’t stressing me out as much. _

_**J:** Because of our chats?_

_**R:** what do you think!_

_**J:** Well, R, I’m glad I could be of help. I feel the same, though. I feel better._

_**R:** it seems like hooli did something right for once by pairing us together._

_**J:** Well, actually it was my idea._

_**R:** you set up the buddy scheme?_

_**J:** Yes! And you were the only genuine person to apply._

_**R:** let me get this straight. so, you invented the buddy scheme…_

_**J:** Yes?_

_**R:** … and you chose to call it 'the buddy scheme'?_

_**J:** It’s an accurate name!_

_**R:** no wonder no one signed up!_

_**J:** That didn’t stop you!_

_**R:** fair enough._

_**R:** you know, it’s easy to make a forum post asking for friends. easy as in, simple. it’s not easy taking a risk and embarrassing yourself, so. thank you._

_**J:** Thank you for saying that._

Jared was thankful that this particular conversation wasn’t face to face, because he had begun to cry. No amount of words or HooliChat emotes could convey his gratitude to R, so he just had to take a moment to sit back and compose himself. That was one of the things he hated about this line of communication - it didn’t actually communicate much at all. Jared was an earnest person, and he loved hard. He found that this scared off most people he crossed paths with, but even knowing that, he felt like he needed to show R this part of him. 

Maybe he didn’t have to remain nameless or faceless. What was he so scared of? 

_Scaring him off._

_**R:** hey, i’ve been meaning to ask… where in hooli do you actually work? or can you tell me that? i always assumed you were in engineering like me, but i guess that’s just because i’m pretty much constricted to this area, i guess._

_**J:** I’m not in engineering! But I did have a feeling you’d be._

_**R:** i’ve been told i text like a coder. whatever that means. where are you, then? you can tell me that much, right? it’s a big company, it’s not like it’ll narrow things down._

_**J:** Yes, but it’s difficult to hide when you’re a Hooli Executive._

_**R:** YOU’RE AN EXECUTIVE???_

_**J:** Indoor voice, R. But yes, I am. I can’t tell you any more than that without possibly getting myself into trouble._

_**R:** are you allowed to be talking to me?_

_**J:** Technically speaking, yes. But I have a feeling Gavin Belson would disapprove._

_**R:** does this mean, all this time i’ve been looking at other engineers and employees in general, i was so fucking far from seeing you?_

_**J:** I told you not to look for me._

_**R:** you could easily find me, though. in fact, i bet you know who i am already. and if you don’t, you could easily find out. you have that power._

_**J:** Does that bother you? _

_**J:** Would it bother you? If I found out who you are?_

_**R:** no, but also i think it’s only fair if i know who you are if you’re gonna know who i am. it bothers me that you get to know and i don’t._

_**J:** I’m sorry, R._

Richard was frustrated, to say the least. 

_**R:** i’m gonna be real with you, just because i’m not sure how much longer we can keep talking without me saying this._

_**J:** Go ahead._

_**R:** jesus christ, let me type._

_**J:** Okay._

_**R:** it sucks that i don’t know you. i mean, i feel like i know you, but i really don’t. I have no clue what you look like, no clue what you sound like, i don’t know your name… i didn’t even know where you worked in hooli until like a minute ago!! but i want to know you. i wanna see you. I wanna get lunch with you and talk to you properly without overthinking it, like i do when i write out these messages. but also i wanna know if you’d even like me. the real me. in person, i’m a mess. but i want you to see that._

_**R:** i thought i felt less alone after meeting you, but in reality, i feel the loneliest i’ve ever felt. in fact, i’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that you’re even a real human person, because i have no physical evidence of that!_

_**J:** I’m sorry you feel that way, R. I wish there was something I could do, just to prove to you that I’m real. But I assure you, I am real. I don’t think technology has progressed to a point where you could be having a hyper-realistic conversation with an AI right now._

_**R:** of course, you’d be the first to know._

_**R:** being a hooli exec and all. :)_

_**J:** I doubt I’d be the first person they told if they invented a chatbot that could pass the Turing test._

_**R:** and i’d be the sucker that failed it. :(_

_**R:** (i know you can't fail the turing test)_

_**J:** Seriously, I don’t want you to drive yourself crazy questioning reality and all. I think I may have a way of providing you with some ‘physical evidence’ of my human existence._

_**R:** oh yeah?_

_**J:** Yeah. I’ll get back to you in an hour._

**#kingofcondor is offline.**

_The next fifty minutes were excruciating for Richard. He found that he couldn’t do any work, or even think about doing it. Eventually, sitting still became an issue, and his restless legs decided to take him on a small walk a few feet from his desk and back. A few engineers shot him a series of looks - some concerned, most irritated. He was terrified that J was tracking him down as he waited. Or worse, completely disconnecting from him._

_Eventually, a few minutes early, he received a text from J._

_**J:** Go to the vending machine by the West entrance. Look behind it. I hope this is sufficient._

_And then, before Richard could even think of what to reply back, he received another:_

_**J:** GTG (got to go?) I’ll talk to you tomorrow, I have some errands to run._

**#kingofcondor is offline.**

Richard stared at his screen for a moment longer, biting his thumbnail as he re-read the instructions. 

And then he was speed-walking down the stairs, across the travelator (going in the wrong direction), and up to the West entrance. He had to take a minute to locate the vending machine, as he’d never actually used or acknowledged it in his time at Hooli. Trying to look inconspicuous while reaching behind a vending machine in quite an exposed area was almost impossible, but Richard pushed through the awkwardness as he blindly grabbed at whatever was taped there. He pulled his hand back, revealing an envelope and a new Hooli lanyard, still in its plastic packaging. 

He gulped, sliding the envelope into his back pocket and tucking it under his sweater (to hopefully avoid the attention of any wandering brogrammers) before hurrying back to his desk. It was expected of him to accidentally make a scene by sitting down on the envelope before attempting to take it out, and then standing up and hitting both knees against the bottom of his desk in the process. But eventually he managed to settle down and open it up. 

Inside was a letter, scrawled over in blue biro: 

_Hey, you._

_I know things are confusing right now, but I just wanted to let you know that I care about you a lot. It might be a little much to say that I care about you with everything in me, considering we’ve only been conversing for a mere few days, but it’s true. It’s amazing how quickly things fall into place once they’ve been set into motion._

_I want you to know me - more than anything - but I just don’t think I’m ready for that yet. I know you’ll be patient with me, though, as you always are when I sometimes take a little while to craft a response to our conversation, or when I start talking about things that aren’t all that relevant. You’re the first person I want to tell when I look out the window and see a bird - common or not! And you listen and appreciate me, and for that, I appreciate you._

_Obviously I want to know the man who has been enticing me with his witty quips and overthought words, but I promise you, I would never abuse my power to seek you out. You’re right, it’s only fair to reveal ourselves at the same time as I’d hate to have a shifted dynamic weigh on us. Perhaps finding out that I’m a Hooli executive already did that, but the fact that you’re holding this letter in your hands (which I’m basing on the assumption that you have both hands - my sincerest apologies if you don’t) and you’re reading it with your own two eyes (the same thing applies here) means that you’re still willing to listen to me, and you’re not as rattled by this revelation as I feared you might be._

_Just sit tight. That’s all I ask of you. Your questions will be answered when I find the courage to answer them. I just hope that this helped ease your mind a little._

_-J_

Richard’s mouth went dry as he sat hunched over his desk with the letter in his hands. In this moment, he felt like he was at the centre of the universe. Someone cared about him enough to reassure him in such a simple, yet grandiose way, and this filled him with both fear and excitement. Fear that the next thing he said or did to J wouldn’t live up to the expectations his feelings seemed to have generated for him. Excitement at the prospect of J possibly feeling the same way about him, even though he didn’t specifically say it. 

_**R:** hey, i just wanted to say that i’m sorry for blowing up at you yesterday, you didn’t deserve that. i guess i was worked up over nothing. and thank you for the letter. i honestly don’t know what to say to you after you said all the right things. i guess it’s worth telling you that i like you. a lot. and i’ll wait however long it takes for you to be in a position to reveal yourself. i think we’re both happy now, and that's what counts._

_**R:** and like, it’s wild that i even had the confidence to say any of that stuff to you, because i certainly wouldn’t if i knew you in real life. physically._

_**R:** oh yeah! thanks for the lanyard :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared's a busy guy. Richard doesn't know how to deal with that.

“Dude, get up. We’re gonna be late.” Richard was awoken by the sound of Bighead, speaking slightly louder than his normal, unbothered tone of voice usually allowed him to. He lifted his head off his pillow to see Bighead standing below him, blinking in mild concern.

“What-” Richard muttered, rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Time to leave, man. You slept in,” Bighead explained as Richard reached for his phone. “It’s funny because you’re usually up before me.” His phone was dead. He must’ve fallen asleep while debating whether he should look through the list of Hooli executives. 

“Fuck, okay. Just… go without me. You’ll miss the shuttle,” he murmured as he sat upright, rubbing both eyes. 

“Why are you wearing your Hooli ID?” Richard looked down, and sure enough, he’d fallen asleep with his new lanyard on. A comfort thing, maybe.

“I- I don’t know. Just go.”

“But-”

“Seriously, go. I’ll just catch the next one. Or… I’ll see if Erlich can drive me.” 

“Suit yourself,” Bighead shrugged, walking out the room at his own leisurely pace. He wasn’t bothered by much.

*****

Richard’s dead phone felt heavy in his pocket as he speed-walked into the Hooli building. He was forty-five minutes late after arguing with Erlich for fifteen and then missing another shuttle. All he wanted to do was check HooliChat, but at the same time he was terrified. He wasn’t even sure why.

After basically sprinting to his desk and throwing himself at his chair, his efforts fell short when he was faced with a screen that told him he had no new alerts from HooliChat.

_It’s okay. It’s still pretty early in the day. He’s a busy guy. A Hooli exec. He’s got bigger fish to fry. Or whatever the saying is._

_**R:** i overslept… but i’m here now. better late than never, i guess._

When he received no response or indication that J was even online, he switched to his browser, closing all the Hooli employee directory tabs he had open. He knew he’d overthink this, like he did with almost everything, so he decided that thinking about J wasn’t in his best interest. For the first time in a while, Richard had no other choice but to focus on his work.

*****

Jared felt genuine distress at the thought of having to be away from his computer for the whole day. This week had been somewhat slow for him, giving him the opportunity to have HooliChat open as a side window beside his work, but today Gavin needed him, and as his contract and morals stated, he had to be there for him. He was used to having work get in the way of his basic needs and happiness, but it worried him that now he was somewhat accountable for the happiness of another employee. Another human being.

It wasn’t a burden, though. It wasn’t a duty, either, like his obligation to Gavin was. It was a privilege. He liked being trusted enough to have direct access to a person’s emotions, he’d never had such a responsibility before. It was exhilarating, it was fresh, and mostly it was good. Jared needed something good. He _deserved_ it.

R could cope one day without him, right? He just hoped he wouldn’t assume the worst.

*****

Richard assumed the worst. Did his sort-of-confession scare him off? Or was he busy doing Hooli executive stuff? It was most likely the latter, but Richard’s brain had a habit of jumping straight to the bottom of the pit of worst case scenarios, so the thought of J completely hating him was the only thing on his mind right now. He finished his work - no big deal - and ignored anything new he was assigned. He was his own worst enemy when it came to overthinking. Distractions were good, they kept him calm, but Richard was trying his best to steer clear of anything that could possibly take his mind off things. He was sabotaging himself and he didn’t even feel bad about it. So he went and found Bighead, who was sipping from a Big Gulp with his chair about three feet away from his desk, as expected. He wasn’t phased by Richard’s surprise visit even though they didn’t occur often.

“Hey, man,” Bighead said with his lips still attached to his straw.

“Hey…” Richard took a seat next to him and looked at his monitor. Nothing was open on his computer. “Slow day today?

“Not really. I’ve actually got a shit ton of stuff to do. It just keeps piling up. There’s stuff on here from last week that I’ve still gotta do.” Richard shot him a look that he assumed he would read as _are you being serious right now?_. He should have assumed that he’d assume wrong. “I know, right? It’s a sweet life hack. Just don’t do it! I’ve been working on NipAlert anyway.”

“Here? At work?”

“Yeah, why not? I’m being paid to write code, so why not write my own code?”

“Bighead, you’re being paid to write _Hooli’s_ code. Not your own.” Richard grabbed the mouse on Bighead’s desk, opening the IDE and pulling up his first task.

“Oh shit,” Bighead deadpanned, raising both eyebrows ever so slightly. He looked between Richard and his computer, as if he was waiting for him to demonstrate. There was a moment of confused silence between them both, until Richard opened his mouth to ask him what he’d even been spending his time doing here at Hooli. But then his phone buzzed in his pocket, and all rational thought exited his brain. His hand flew to his leg instinctively, and that same not-so-concerned concerned look reappeared on Bighead’s face.

“Are you, like… Good, man?” He inquired, watching as disappointment washed over Richard while he checked his notifications. He pocketed the phone.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m just… A little restless.” 

Bighead leaned forward, resting a hand on Richard’s shoulder. He gave him an earnest look. “Look, man. You can tell me if you’re on drugs. I can help you.”

“What?” Richard brushed his hand off and sat up straighter. “I’m not- I’m not on drugs!”

Bighead seemed bothered by the looks they were getting from their colleagues. He lowered his voice and leaned in closer. “Richard, that’s what someone on drugs would say.”

Richard stood up, outraged. “I’m not on drugs!”

“Yeah he is,” a voice said from behind him. He didn’t even have to look to know it was Jason. “He’s on a drug called _love_.”

“Huh?” Bighead leaned over, noticing the brogrammers. “Ah, fuck. Get outta here, man.” He didn’t have to think twice. Richard nodded to him and began to walk as he heard the brogrammers’ laughter get closer behind him. He wasn’t going to deal with them today - he couldn’t make another scene. He’d have to thank Bighead later and hope that he didn’t expect an explanation. 

He made it back to his desk and sat down with a relieved half-sigh/half-gasp-for-air before pulling off his lanyard. His heart was pounding in his chest, but he forced himself to stay focused on his computer screen. It actually infuriated him how easily set off he was by those guys. Hopefully Bighead was keeping them occupied. 

He quickly typed out a message to J: 

_**R:** hey, i don’t know what’s going on, but. let me know when you get this. i’m sure you’re busy and stuff._

The word ‘pathetic’ came to mind as Richard scrolled through their chat log. J had been offline since their conversation yesterday, and Richard felt painfully annoying as he sifted through the blocks of messages he’d sent with no response. His own neediness surprised him, as he was never one to actively seek assistance when he needed it. But now he knew what he needed, and it was frustratingly out of reach. Maybe this was his indication to take a step back before he became completely codependent.

After a few more minutes of overthinking and radio silence (on J’s end), Richard decided that he needed to take a risk. He needed to show J that he thought of this as more than an anonymous helpline. He wanted to know him, but in order to do that, he had to let himself be known.

_**R:** fuck it, i’m sending you a demo of my website. it’s called Pied Piper. let me know if you think i actually have a chance of getting somewhere._

_**R:** and yeah, you’ll see it on the demo. the R stands for Richard._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short one but i felt bad for holding it hostage for so long


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard grows restless. Jared is loyal. Could I make it any more obvious? Oh, and Gilfoyle and Erlich are here.

_**R:** what the fuck happened?_

_**R:** was it something i said?_

_**R:** i’m sorry._

_**#scatterbrain is offline.** _

It was 7:45pm and Gavin had only just given Jared permission to pack up and leave for the day. He’d spent most of it dealing with the fallout from one of Gavin’s breakthroughs-turned-bad-ideas. This was the first opportunity he’d had to return to his own desk, but it was hours after R would have gone home. When he logged onto his computer, it was quickly flooded with HooliChat notifications which arrived at such a rapid speed that it made him both excited and scared. He merely skimmed them, knowing that now wouldn’t be the best time to initiate a conversation as he planned to leave soon. Jared felt his heart sink a little at the tonal progression of R’s messages. He seemed upset by his absence, and Jared felt like he’d just accidentally hit a bird with his car. _I should have said something_.

Jared breathed out a sigh as he closed his HooliChat window to paste the Pied Piper link into his browser. There it was: _Pied Piper, copyright of Richard Hendricks_. 

Richard Hendricks.

 _Richard Hendricks_.

Jared smiled to himself - it somehow made sense. He felt a weird sense of relief knowing that Richard’s name suited his digital personality, and then excitement at the idea that his face probably fit his name even better. And then there was Pied Piper. The name filled Jared’s heart with joy. There was something so innocently on the nose about it. A soft flute tune played through his speaker, prompting him to smile from cheek to cheek as he clicked through the site. It was an interesting idea, to say the least. Time to see if the tech was any good.

_I have to download my own media player? Huh._

Jared opened his HooliPlayer and found a song to test against the database. _Scatterbrain_ seemed like the appropriate choice. He hit upload and then sat back, expecting it to take a few minutes. But then, a few moments later:

_Holy shit._

He leaned forward, his eyes darting between the waveforms on the screen.

_He figured out how to do a search on a compressed data space!_

“I have to tell Gavin…” Jared whispered, breathless. 

It wasn’t an urge, though. Contractually, he did actually have to tell him. 

*****

Richard left early that day after finishing all of his work. His productivity came as a result of the need to distract himself from the fact that almost another full day of work had passed with no word from J. He was getting restless and upset. He needed to know if there was a reason this was happening. 

He needed to know who he was talking to.

“Gilfoyle,” Richard whispered urgently, tapping his shoulder. He’d barely been home for more than a minute, but he had the entire shuttle ride home to think this over. Yes, he needed to do this. Who better to ask than Gilfoyle?

Gilfoyle, who was sitting at his desk, slowly turned around in his chair. “What?”

“I need your help with something.”

“I’m not helping you with your website unless you pay me,” he began to turn back around as Richard caught him by the shoulder.

“It- it’s not that.” Gilfoyle looked up at him expectantly. He raised an eyebrow. Richard lowered his voice again and leaned in a little. “I need you to find out who I’ve been talking to on HooliChat.” 

When Gilfoyle didn’t respond, he added: “Like… In a non-legal way.”

“You want me to bypass Hooli’s encryption,” Gilfoyle responded, sipping from his beer. It was more of a statement than a question. Richard nodded. “Why?”

“Because,” he glanced around nervously. Dinesh was in the bathroom, Bighead was in the kitchen, eating Cheez-its, and Erlich was god knows where, probably with Jian-Yang or some other potential incubator candidates. Richard gulped. “I’ve been talking to someone for the past week or so on HooliChat - anonymously - and... I need to know who it is. I just need a name.”

Gilfoyle stared up at him for a moment, a blank expression on his face. A few seconds passed as Richard nervously glanced between him and his computer. “Uh-”

“I’m gonna need either your phone or your HooliChat login,” he finally responded, turning around in his chair to face his screen. “And fifty bucks.”

“Uh, fuck.” Richard fumbled to pull out his wallet. “I only have a twenty.”

“That’ll do.” Gilfoyle stuck his hand out and Richard reluctantly handed over the money.

“Just… Don’t read the messages, okay?”

“For an extra ten dollars, I won’t read your messages.” 

*****

“Richard,” a voice startled him from his focus, causing him to instinctively slam his laptop shut. Erlich was at the door of his bedroom. He didn’t look happy.

“Y-yeah?”

“We need to talk about Pied Piper.” There was a seriousness to his tone that made Richard’s mouth go dry.

“What about it? The website’s up and running, I’m redesigning the compression-”

“It’s incomprehensible. That’s why you have no users! Nobody gives a shit about stealing other people’s music, okay? Everybody involved in the music industry is either stealing it or sharing it. They’re all a bunch of assholes, especially Radiohead.”

“No…” Richard responded gently.

“Yeah, they are. Now, look, Richard. If you wanna live here, you’ve gotta deliver. Or at least show some promise. Like Bighead’s app, NipAlert.”

“Yeah, okay. Okay.”

“I’m going to be meditating.” 

*****

The next time Richard looked up from his laptop was when Gilfoyle was at his bedroom door. He held his own laptop under his arm as he leaned in the doorway. Richard pushed his headphones down to his neck.

“I found something.” 

“You know who it is?”

“Sure, but I also think you’re being catfished.”

“What? How? Is it a woman?”

Gilfoyle stared at him for a moment. “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear you say that.” He opened up his laptop, balancing it on his forearm as he typed something in with his free hand. “This person said his name began with a J, yes?”

“...Yeah?”

“Well, I traced the HooliChat account back to someone named Donald.”

Richard took a moment to think. 

So, he was being lied to. 

“-Which clearly doesn’t begin with a J.”

“I know, Gilfoyle. I know,” he cut him off, rubbing both hands over his face. “Thanks anyway.”

“He is a Hooli exec, though. He wasn’t lying about that. Look,” Gilfoyle turned his laptop as he stepped closer to Richard, revealing an imageless ID page. Richard squinted at him. “Maybe he lied to sound cooler. ‘Donald’ sounds like your sad, gay uncle. You know, white trash.”

“Maybe,” Richard muttered, biting his thumbnail as he scanned the page for any more information. Donald Dunn. VP. He probably worked closely to Gavin, which is why he was so secretive. Yeah, probably that.

“Is that seriously all you wanted? I could get his picture, his password, his-”

“No, no.” Richard didn’t want to betray J more than he already had, despite feeling betrayed himself. “That’s it. Thanks.”

Gilfoyle shrugged and shut his laptop, turning to leave the room. Richard sighed and put his head in his hands.

“Richard,” Gilfoyle stopped at the doorway, turning to face him again. Richard looked up. “Are you gay?”

Richard felt sick. He gulped, adding to the nausea.

“I don’t actually care,” Gilfoyle added. “It doesn’t bother me. I just don’t think you should go around pretending you’re not. It looks bad.”

“I’m- I… Don’t know. Can I get back to you on that one?”

Gilfoyle let out a small, soundless chuckle. “It’s okay. Like I said, I don’t care.”

*****

“I don’t think he even realises what he has here! He’s using it for some silly songwriter app.” Jared’s mind was racing at a million miles an hour as he pitched Pied Piper to Gavin Belson. Or, rather, Pied Piper’s technology. Jared thought he’d catch him between meetings, as he was on his way back to his office.

“Holy shit.” Gavin muttered, stopping in his tracks. Jared nodded enthusiastically, watching the cogs turn. “Let’s bring him in.”

The two of them made their way to Gavin’s office, and Jared felt the electricity run through his veins. This was what Richard wanted, right? To sell his idea and get out of here. He wouldn’t have to work for Hooli anymore, as he’d be set for life. He’d be happy. Then, maybe, he could reveal himself. Maybe Richard would see him at the meeting and recognise him just by the way he stood or talked, or by the way he’d be looking at him. Or maybe he’d hear him on the phone and know. Maybe entertaining these innocent fantasies wasn’t the healthiest thing to be doing hours before it was about to happen.

He realised he didn’t know what Richard looked like yet. He could easily just look him up on the public employee records now that he knew his full name, but he figured he’d rather be surprised by his presence. Pleasantly surprised, he hoped. 

Jared watched Gavin walk into his office, determination in every step he took. This new atmosphere he found himself in made him a little nervous. He caused this. They were about to call Richard. Gavin was going to arrange a meeting to make him an offer. Jared was about to hear his voice for the first time.

Things were about to get tricky.

He took a deep breath as he quickly detoured to his office, hoping Gavin wouldn’t notice while he was in his determined state. Jared knew he didn’t have time to think about this, he had to take a step back if Richard was about to potentially go into business with Hooli. So without thinking, Jared logged onto HooliChat and deleted his account.

*****

Richard felt like shit. Not because he was disappointed, but because he knew J would be. He betrayed him. They betrayed each other. But what did he expect, really? Their entire relationship was based on secrecy, so finding out anything about each other felt like a breach of their agreement.

_But he lied._

_Which you wouldn’t have found out if you didn’t break your promise first._

_God damn it._

He had to say something. Even if he wouldn’t respond, he owed him that much.

After mulling it over for at least an hour in his head, he finally got the courage to take out his phone and open HooliChat. But then:

_What the fuck?_

He rushed into Gilfoyle’s room.

“What the fuck?”

“What?” Gilfoyle deadpanned, looking up from where he was laying on his bed, his laptop in his lap.

“J- I mean, Donald. His HooliChat account’s gone,” and then, pointedly, “what did you do?”

“Huh.” Gilfoyle furrowed his eyebrows in what Richard assumed was genuine confusion. He could never tell with Gilfoyle. Or anyone, for that matter. “Maybe Hooli detected the breach and locked the profile on account of suspicious activity… But that’s unlikely. I’m careful.” 

“Well, have you considered that maybe you weren’t careful enough?” Richard asked accusingly, folding his arms and standing up straighter. An intimidation tactic, maybe.

A pause. Gilfoyle looked him dead in the eye, expressionless. Although he’d seen it a thousand times, it still unsettled him a little. He looked away. “Have you considered that maybe you just scared this guy away?”

Richard cleared his throat, standing down. He blinked a few times as he glanced down at his shoes. He sighed. “Yeah.”

“He’s a Hooli VP. Chances are, Gavin Belson found out he was talking to you and forced him to delete his account or something.”

“Maybe.” He thought about it. Gilfoyle was right - he should have considered the professional implications before jumping to personal causes. 

“I didn’t do anything, though. Like I said, I’m careful.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped backwards out of the room. Gilfoyle couldn’t know how much this meant to him, although he was certain it was obvious. He’d read his messages, but he didn’t care. Why would Gilfoyle give him shit for it if he had nothing to gain?

Richard wandered back into the kitchen, where Bighead was still eating out of a box of Cheez-its. They nodded at each other in acknowledgement. He took a seat and sighed.

Then he felt his phone ring. It was a Hooli number.

_Huh. Probably just those brogrammers. Or HR, calling to fire him for messaging a VP._

_...That makes no sense._

But the voice on the end of the line seemed hesitant. Richard’s hostile greeting had obviously thrown him off, but the gentle cadence of his response instilled a feeling of guilt in his gut.

“Uh, hi. This is Jared Dunn, calling from Hooli. I’m calling on behalf of Gavin Belson. Gavin is very excited about your Pied Piper application, and we were wondering if you could come in for a sit-down with us. Are you available now?”

Richard blinked rapidly before making wide eyes at Bighead, who shot him a confused look in return. “Okay, sure!” The call ended, and Richard was buzzing. He looked at Bighead with a wide grin.

“Uh… I have a meeting with Gavin Belson. He likes Pied Piper.”

“Holy shit!”

Richard didn’t even have the time to jump to conclusions right now. Gavin could have gotten his hands on his website by a ton of different means, so thinking about it would only make him anxious. All he needed to know was that he saw it, and he was interested. He needed to not think about J right now, because reality was finally getting good. Richard had made something worthwhile. And of course, Erlich was back on board now.

*****

Jared felt somewhat triumphant after he’d hung up the call. He wondered if Richard knew it was him. He grinned to himself, before finally looking at Gavin, who was staring at him expectantly. 

“Oh, right.” Jared promptly stood up straight before leaving Gavin’s office. He didn’t need to be told twice. He escorted himself to the hallway between Gavin’s office and the waiting area, keen to keep an eye out for anyone who entered the area. 

A feeling of warmth crept through his body as he thought about it - an unfamiliar, yet friendly face showing up any minute now, anxious for his meeting with Gavin Belson. Anxious to finally make it. However, this warmth quickly twisted into guilt as Jared remembered what he’d done. He hadn’t spoken a word to Richard since leaving him the note, and this was completely unintentional. _Was it though?_ Maybe there was something in his subconscious that forced him to ignore the notification badge that loomed over his HooliChat icon on his computer. It wasn’t shame or embarrassment, no, never. It was longing. 

Jared had subconsciously neglected Richard for the sake of his job and his own feelings, with not even a single sentence of explanation offered to him. He felt awful for that, and now he’d possibly just thrown Richard’s life’s work straight into the claws of the devil. For what? A leg up with Gavin Belson? He didn’t want it - he already had everything he possibly needed. Despite having the best intentions at the time, he realised he’d done something he might regret for the rest of his life. 

If Richard had any sense, he’d do the right thing and decline whatever lousy offer Gavin was willing to throw his way. Jared had to remain loyal to his CEO, though. He couldn’t warn Richard and he couldn’t discourage Gavin. He was in one of the worse moral binds he’d been in in his lifetime. 

_It’s okay. It’ll be okay. I have faith in you, Richard Hendricks._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did ya want the official fic playlist? no? well, uh. here it is anyway. just in case. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7KjAgCJSjmDj3Jt6wXJKtl?si=5sLjw7rrRu-H6ivUWLQMyw


	7. Chapter 7

As Richard sat and waited to go into his meeting with Gavin Belson, he found himself occupying every second by glancing around the area. He’d never been in this part of the Hooli building before as he was never really needed there. Knowing that J was a VP, he realised that this would be the area of the company he’d be in, so he looked around even though he didn’t know who he was looking for. J had a name now, so Richard tried to squint to see the names on various Hooli lanyards as people walked by, but to no avail. J obviously didn’t want him to know who he was - so much so that he _erased_ his HooliChat profile. Richard needed to respect that. Acknowledging this did nothing to ease the ache in his chest, though.

He tried to make small talk with all the people who were supposedly waiting for Gavin too, but nothing was keeping him from thinking about J and his future at Hooli. He rested a hand on his knee in order to get it to stop shaking, only for the other one to start shaking after a few seconds of relief. He just had to get through this.

Then a man came out and walked right up to him. He somewhat resembled a lost puppy, Richard thought. A quick glance at his conveniently flipped ID card neither confirmed nor denied anything for him, but he let that frustration dissipate. 

“Richard? I’m Jared, we spoke on the phone earlier.”

“Oh, yeah. Hi.”

“Gavin is running thirty minutes late, but you should know that he is very excited to see you.” 

Richard could only bring himself to nod before the other VPs started talking again. One of them had to be Donald, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. As time went on, he got dangerously closer to opening his mouth and just blurting it out, but luckily his phone ringing saved him from that probably bad decision.

“Richard Hendricks. It’s Peter Gregory,” said the voice on the other line. Richard felt his heart stop again, for the second time today. He lowered his phone and looked at the man in front of him.

“It’s Peter Gregory!” He didn’t know why he expected him to light up in the same way he did, but he ignored it when he turned to supposedly whisper to another VP. Richard’s whole life was lighting up around him. This was terrifying.

*****

Jared felt his heart jump every time Richard did so much as blink. He did his best to keep it together, applying what he had learned as a child about keeping his emotions tucked away and invisible in tense or awkward situations. He felt Richard’s gaze on him, but assumed that was probably down to the way they were positioned perpendicular to each other. 

This was the man he’d supposedly fallen for over their company’s chat app in the past week. He watched him fidget and gulp and blink too quickly and thought _no regrets._

Peter Gregory’s call struck both fear and excitement within him. Fear that Richard might be slipping through his fingers and excitement at the new opportunity opening up. He figured he’d see this one through. He had to remain somewhat objective here. So he watched as everything unfolded before him. He felt both powerless and proud - privileged to be here in this moment. Richard Hendricks, the nervous, wide-eyed man standing in front of him was possibly making history.

And then he was gone - clearly overwhelmed, but still hiding it somewhat well. Jared just wanted to chase after him and take his hand and tell him everything would be okay. The only thing stopping him was their already rocky (one-sided) relationship. Oh, and his contract with Hooli. He remained in place, next to a seething Gavin Belson.

*****

Richard’s head was swimming. As he puked his guts out outside of Hooli, he thought about his future in Silicon Valley, and J, who shouldn’t even matter to him right at this moment. But he couldn’t help it.

He pulled his phone out and opened HooliChat, in hopes of the account being restored. It wasn’t. He typed out a message anyway.

_**R:** did you do this???_

_**R:** i’m not mad._

_**R:** but also i think i’m having a heart attack. fuck_

Then he went to the doctor. Because his head was spinning and his heart was racing at a speed it had never reached before, and also he felt nauseous again. 

His phone kept chiming, and after checking it once and seeing that it wasn’t J, Richard switched it off completely. As much as Bighead (and maybe Erlich) wanted to help, he had to figure this out on his own. So he had to erase J from the equation altogether. Their relationship had ended the moment he’d logged onto HooliChat and noticed his account was gone. Going nowhere. Over. Done. This helped him think a little clearer. But only a little.

When he left the clinic, he was met by Monica outside.

“I think I’m gonna go with Gavin Belson.” 

“Richard, your compression algorithm blew our engineering team away. What do you think a huge corporation like Hooli’s gonna do with it?”

“I don’t know. That’s their business.”

“This is your baby. Do you even realise the impact that a compression this good could have on the world?”

“Okay. Okay.”

He knew what he was going to do, but now he just had to speak to Erlich.

*****

_I quit!_ was what Jared wished he had the guts to say to Gavin’s face right then and there. But what came out instead was a lot kinder, even though Gavin didn’t need or deserve his kindness.

“What’s this?” Gavin questioned, not even looking at the sheets of paper Jared had just handed to him. He’d made a dangerous move and he knew it. Richard Hendricks had just declined his offer of _ten million dollars_ for his app and Gavin had been having one of his tantrums for the past two hours. Jared couldn’t have picked a worse time to do this. But at the same time, he was getting itchy feet. He knew where he needed to be.

“My two weeks’ notice. While I may be leaving Hooli, I am filled with gratitude and-”

“What? You’re quitting? After everything I've done for you? You have everything you could possibly need here.”

“I know, and I can assure you, I'm so so grateful-” 

“You know what? I don’t have time for this. Just go now.” Jared watched as Gavin handed his letter off to his assistant. He felt like a weight had just been lifted. He could call Richard, but he was probably receiving all sorts of calls right now. He figured he’d take this time to prepare for the necessary changes he’d need to make. If Richard gave him a job, he’d have to sacrifice a lot financially. If not, he could look elsewhere and probably find something decent. 

This was the first time in a long time that Jared was following his heart instead of his head. The thrill of the adventure fuelled him to carry on while the temptation of giving into the unknown loomed over him. He had a safety net (a flimsy one at that) and a loose plan, provided that things went his way. He felt immensely guilty about it, but there was a lot of his future that was now almost entirely dependent on Richard Hendricks.

*****

Despite convincing himself earlier that he would forget about J, Richard found himself back in Gilfoyle’s corner of the hostel for a moment before their party was about to begin.

“Okay, fuck it. I need you to go in deeper. I need a way of contacting him. Do it. Get all that other information you mentioned earlier.” 

Gilfoyle looked up slowly. He glanced around quickly before responding. “No can do.”

Richard blinked. “I have enough money this time. Obviously. So-”

“No, I mean. I can’t do it.” Richard laughed in disbelief. Gilfoyle continued, not flinching. “He deleted his HooliChat account. If Hooli had any sense, there’s probably a protocol in place to wipe the information from deactivated accounts after a certain period of time.”

“You mean like, how Twitter completely erases accounts thirty days after they’re deactivated?”

“Sure.”

Richard pressed on: “Yeah, so. It’s only been a few hours. Not thirty days. The information should still be there.” 

“Richard, look. You’re wasting your time. You’re the CEO of your own company now. Talking to a Hooli VP while Gavin Belson is likely pissed at you is not a smart move. You might say something stupid and compromise everything.”

“But-”

“I’m saying this for your own good. And also the future of my job here. You’re gonna screw us over if you don’t let it go.”

“He- he wouldn’t. He’s different.”

“You can put on any front when you’re talking over the internet. Don’t fall for it. You’re smarter than that.”

Suddenly, Gilfoyle’s eyes flicked over to where Dinesh had just entered the area. He gave Richard a look, as if to say “drop it”, before turning to Dinesh. Richard felt his face heat up in frustration. He balled up his fists and walked away.

Gilfoyle was right. He needed to let this go. But what was the harm in trying one last time?

He took to the Hooli forums, thankful they hadn’t deleted his work account yet.

_**MISSED CONNECTION? Sort of?**_

_i no longer work at hooli, but i met someone there when i did. well, ‘met’ might not be the right word for it. we only talked over hoolichat, thanks to the buddy system set up by another employee. i don’t know why i’m providing so much background, but. kingofcondor, if you see this, please just give me a sign. anything. i need to talk to you one more time before i drop this for good. i just need some sort of closure. i’m sorry if i upset you._

_-R_

He hit post and then locked his phone. He had a party to attend.

**Author's Note:**

> umb.... thank u for reading..... i have this planned out pretty much to the end so that's good news if u liked it i guess? if not that's ok too just don't tell me


End file.
